An Evening Among the Giants

Katie and I decided to go out and spend the evening surrounded by art, the freest place to do so being the Palazzo. I took some more night shots, one of these days I'll get more during the daytime:

Fiesole

Our first visit outside of Florence was to Fiesole, a hilltop town as ancient as it was full of wealthy Florentines. There we visited an archaeological site with Etruscan and Roman ruins including an amphitheater, a multilevel temple and Roman baths. Visigoth warrior tombs dot the area as well, however those buried were not as impressive as their name makes them out to be, they barely reached four and a half feet tall!






Following the archaeological site, we strapped on our hiking packs and made ready our water bottles for the steep climb up the hill to a monastery (which had real Franciscan friars dwelling in it. It was brutal, but the view over Florence was amazing and well worth the pain (I took video). We were not there long because they were beginning confessions, and our first experience with one was him telling us in Italian to "Get Out!"

Dinner in the Plazza de Signoria

Ciao!

Our first Real Florentine Dinner happened this last Friday. We feasted in the Plazza de Signoria in view of famous (and infamous) sculptures by Cellini and Giambologna (seen in the images from the last post). We had bread and oil, cheese and spinach tortellini, herb-roasted chicken and sausage, potati (french fries!), salad and finished with our first experience with gelatto! It was definitely not as I had expected--it was soooo awesome and delicious.

Following dinner we were invited out to clubs, but were so tired from the day and large meal so we walked back to our apartment and enjoyed a night walk in the city and stopped at a few sites, including a public church. Made it home safely... though very late in the evening.

Some pictures from the walk home:

First Encounters

For breakfast today, Katie and I had our first slice of real Italian pizza! We had planned on getting to the student center early in order to use the computers there, but unfortunately they weren't opening the room until later that afternoon, so we decided to find a quick bite to eat to give us energy for the day. Around 11 we met for our orientation, and listened to alot of information regarding FSU and Florence, Academic Policies and survival guides. We received our meal tickets (yes literally) and went out to eat again! I had a delicious croissant with a large block of cheese and herbed turkey on it and a drink... once again for $4,50. We returned to the orientation to get our first REAL walk in Florence. Here are the sites we saw (mouse over for names):

Crossing the Pond

I got to Florence safely this afternoon, landing slightly after 12pm. The flight (although mercilessly loooong) was rewarding. I hadn't anticipated that we would fly right up the U.S. coast and then cross toward Europe from Maine, but I preferred it to flying over wide expanses of water. We flew over the emerald green isles of Ireland and crossed the English Channel. I was even lucky enough to spot the Eiffel Tower from my plane window (it is much bigger than I had thought and quite an impressive sight to see!). As we flew to Italy, I snapped many shots of the Alps and made sure to focus on the tallest peaks.





Although all of these were breathtaking, none of these sights could even compare to the view of the starscape that I had Wednesday evening while on the plane and crossing over the Atlantic. One vocalist fell short when he described it as "a black canopy with hole punched in it." Unlike any I've seen before, these stars were numerous and had depth and shape (like oval and oblong, round and diamond) and it was difinitive which ones were closer and which farther away. Because of the sheer number of stars, it was impossible to determine their constallations, however I could make out the pale red of Mars and the second-sun like glow of Venus. Another positive to having a clear night is being able to see "through" the Milky Way to thousands of other galaxies, which appear as a thick cloud of stars across the sky. It was amazing to say the least.

Navigating airports was easy except for the one in Paris. If there had not been a whole group of people from FSU looking for that flight, it would've been a nightmare. But luckily we made it through OK.

Florence is beautiful and so is the amazing apartment we're living in. I plan on posting a video that I made of all the rooms and the fantastic views. I switched rooms though, because... you should never pass up the oppurtunity to have the Duomo right outside of your window. : )

I've already made a few runs through town. My first meal was a delicious "chicken and herb" panini sandwich and a drink for €4,50. We walked to the student center so that we would know how to get there and then I went off on my own in the evening to find a certain tea house. The tea house happened to have moved down the street a number of buildings, however it did not appear to be open after 5 p.m. I plan to make another run sometime... it's not too far away and so it would not be an inconvenience to try to go there again.

Sadly, I haven't found any wi-fi hotspots from which to connect to. I really want to get on the internet and post all of the new and wonderful things so that you all can see them, as well as let my dad and grandmother know that I made it here safe... but until then... it will just have to wait. Not too much of a loss, I can't believe it's only 4pm in the states, it's 10pm and sleepy-time here. I feel that I've already adjusted to the schedule thanks to the short night caused by the plane flight!

For Kyle:

Kyle, if you are reading this the mission is accomplishable!

Flight Info

For any that are curious, here is my flight schedule for today and tomorrow (yes you read right! Two days of airplanes!):

• Leave Tallahassee at 12:00 noon
  
• Arrive in Atlanta at 1:00 pm
• Leave Atlanta at 5:30 pm
• Arrive in Paris, France at 8:00 am
• Leave Paris, France at 10:00 am
• Arrive in Florence, Italy at 12:00 noon!

Wish me luck and no delays! Ciao!

"All my bags are packed..."

This will be my last day in the states and I feel it will also be one of the most trying, as it is 3:30 in the AM and I am having trouble sleeping--too excited about my trip to even be superstitious about the hour that I am currently up (anyone that knows me really well knows that I am easily uneased by the supernatural--and if I ever were to find myself up at 3:00 in the morning I would shut my eyes tight and hope to fall asleep in short time!). If this sounds odd, it has a long accompanying story.

Yesterday I found myself gathering all the last minute items I could remember to get a hold of, including an FSU shirt (so others in the program might spot me so I won't feel that I'm traveling completely alone), "Winter's Heart" by Robert Jordan for reading material while on the plane or waiting during the times between them, a CD of Italian for travelers and a small language guide, sketchbooks and a new album to listen to on my iPod (ask me on facebook if you must know what it was! : P).

Unfortunately, I forgot to stop by the bank and also pick up some notebooks (I will be taking classes while I'm over there and it would be good to take notes for them!), so I will have to combat traffic and run these errands in the morning. Gladly, I did find my shiny (and awesome) Target Credit Card so I will not be in as much of a pinch while I'm over there, as the bank recommended that I not use my debit card.

Last night Karl and I had lunch together and went light on dinner and after he took me to all the places I had to get. We met up with a friend who had a "mission" for me and I gladly accepted the challenge--to deliver a letter to a person he met while he was in Florence last year. I'm excited about the prospect and I hope I will be successful in this endeavor!

The other reasons this day will be trying are because the majority of it will be spent in airports and also because I will be saying my goodbyes to my family and Karl. I'm glad we live in the Internet age and will still be able to communicate despite the distance.

Even though this is my last evening here before the journey... I still can't wrap my head around the fact that I'm really truly going to Italy--one more story before I close out:

I called my grandmother Monday after work because I had the memory of receiving a postcard from her and my grandfather's cruise in Europe years back with a picture of the Trevi Fountain of Rome on it. She said that they threw in coins for my little sister and I, and the legend of the fountain is that by throwing coins it ensures a trip back to Rome. My coin is calling!

"Fare thee well, though I go 10,000 miles..."

No cancellations!

I checked up on the status of my flights this evening and nothing has been canceled (celebrate!). I even got to log onto Delta's site and look at my seating arrangements. On the trip there and back I will have window seats, not that there will be too much to see flying over the ocean... but I'm happy with the seating assignment.

Yesterday my grandmother threw a small going away party for me with extra presents for the trips and good comfort food--including a delicious banana flavored and coconut topped cake. I will definitely have to get the recipe!

Tonight I'm looking forward to eating some homemade Chinese food at the Sornes! Everyone wants to make sure that I'm well fed before I leave. : )

Fortelling Food

In an odd coincidence Karl, Brad and I ended up eating at "The Leaning Tower" in Tallahassee on Saturday afternoon--I suppose to serve as a reminder of Americanized Italian "eats" here in the states. Our paper cups were wonderfully decked out with green, white and red flags (the Italian fashion) and paper placemats displaying all of the landmarks I will see on my voyage. Karl and I split a "booey," a giant sized calzone. It was alot of fun and a reminder of what is to come!